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Chautauqua residents want the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake to take several measures to protect the “majestic” tree canopy in their historic neighbourhood.

That was the message from two Wilberforce Avenue residents, Holmes Hooke and Leslie Frankish, to town council Monday.

“We live under the great Chautauqua tree canopy,” said Hooke, but while adding the advanced age of the trees, destruction through property redevelopment and disease, and planting of ornamental trees to replace the large ones are causing “a catastrophic thinning.”

Hooke said he and Frankish have completed an inventory of 990 trees on 70 per cent of properties in the neighbourhood. He said the most common species are oak trees.

He predicts that within the next 10 years, nearly one-third of the trees that make up the canopy will be gone. Hooke said there has been no significant replanting.

Frankish called for a community tree plan to be developed specifically for the Chautauqua area and adopted by the town. She said the Chautauqua Community Association will provide recommendations on its website about what species to plant.

“Oaks are the anchor of the canopy,” said Frankish.

To reduce damage to trees during reconstruction on properties, she asked that the town require tree protection barriers be erected when building permits are issued.

Frankish also called on council to pass an urban tree protection bylaw. Later in the meeting, council approved the hiring of a facilitator for public consultations on establishing a bylaw, as recommended at committee-of-the-whole last week.

“Twenty thousand dollars is a small price to pay … not overburdening our staff,” said Coun. Martin Mazza, referring to the maximum amount to be spent for a facilitator. “There may be a larger majority of people saying something totally different.”

Council also approved a request from Coun. Jim Collard that the town work with its solicitor to look into amending the current tree bylaw to regulate trees on land slated for development or redevelopment. That would apply to all greenfield and brownfield sites with the developer being responsible for covering the costs of preservation and planting plans and an arbourist’s fees.